A new peer-reviewed article in the international journal Sustainability highlights the global impact of El Sistema on the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) – and places Sistema Europe clearly within that picture.
Authored by Soyeon Kim, lecturer in the Department of Composition at Kyung Hee University in Seoul, and Zong Woo Geem, the study “El Sistema: Music for Sustainability Goals and Education” examines how El Sistema programmes in five countries – Scotland, the United States, Sweden, the Republic of Korea and Japan – contribute to SDGs such as quality education, reduced inequalities, sustainable cities and communities, and partnerships for the goals.
Using the CIPO framework (Context–Input–Process–Output), the article shows how El Sistema–inspired programmes support children and young people in vulnerable situations, strengthening well-being, social cohesion and prospects for the future. The authors identify links with SDGs 1, 3, 4, 5, 8, 10, 11, 16 and 17, underlining El Sistema as a model of socially engaged, sustainable music education.
For Sistema Europe, the paper is both a valuable validation of the network’s role and an invitation to deepen our engagement with the SDGs – in our orchestras, in our partnerships, and in the way we tell our collective story.
The article El Sistema: Music for Sustainability Goals and Education is available open access in Sustainability.
Members of the Sistema Europe community are warmly encouraged to read it, share it within their organisations, and continue the conversation on how our everyday musical work can help build a more just and sustainable world!